Drone came within metre of hitting passenger plane

The UK Airprox Board, which promotes air safety, said that the “only reason there was not a collision was down to luck”John Stillwell/PA

Ministers are preparing to crack down on drones in British airspace after it emerged that a device came within a metre of a potentially catastrophic collision with a passenger jet.

The government will publish new rules to regulate the use of drones, including compulsory registration for owners and beacons embedded in the devices to make them more visible to air traffic controllers and police.

A new criminal offence may also be introduced for illegally operating drones in “no-fly zones” around airports or prisons. It is believed that fines could vastly exceed the maximum £2,500 penalty for flouting existing rules on drones.

The UK Airprox Board, which promotes air safety, revealed yesterday that a drone had been a metre away from hitting a passenger plane coming…